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Volcano Types

Stratovolcano
Lava dome(s)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zoneContinental crust (> 25 km)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Minor
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Population

Within 5 kmWithin 10 kmWithin 30 kmWithin 100 km

3,457
15,469
394,687
7,064,437

Geological Summary

Moyuta is the easternmost of a chain of large stratovolcanoes extending along the volcanic front of Guatemala. Like Tecuamburro volcano, Moyuta is offset about 20 km south of the main volcanic chain and lies south of the Jalpatagua Fault, overlying the southern boundary of the Jalpatagua Graben. The 1662-m-high volcano is capped by a cluster of at least three forested, steep-sided, coalescing andesitic lava domes that from some distant perspectives give the summit a flat-topped appearance. Numerous cinder cones in various stages of erosion are located on the flanks of the complex. The age of the latest eruption of Moyuta volcano is not known, although the summit domes were considered to have been emplaced in relatively recent times (Williams et al., 1964). Small fumaroles are found on the northern and southern flanks of the volcano, and hot springs are located near Azulco at the NE base and along rivers on the SE side of Moyuta.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bonete, Cerro el

Stratovolcano

1390 m

14° 3' 0" N

90° 0' 0" W

Buena Vista, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

1380 m

14° 3' 0" N

90° 5' 0" W

Gigante, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

919 m

14° 0' 0" N

89° 59' 0" W

Gordo, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

700 m

13° 58' 0" N

90° 7' 0" W

Hilas, Cerro de las

Pyroclastic cone

880 m

14° 0' 0" N

90° 4' 0" W

Jute, Cerro del

Pyroclastic cone

680 m

13° 58' 0" N

90° 3' 0" W

Margaritas, Volcancito

Pyroclastic cone

520 m

14° 4' 0" N

90° 12' 0" W

Myriam, Volcán

Stratovolcano

1440 m

14° 0' 0" N

90° 7' 0" W

San Rafael, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

1052 m

14° 4' 0" N

90° 1' 0" W

Tecolote, Cerro

Pyroclastic cone

845 m

14° 2' 0" N

89° 59' 0" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Conguaco, Cerro

Crater

14° 3' 0" N

90° 1' 0" W

Photo Gallery

Moyuta volcano, seen here on the left-center horizon from the NW, is the easternmost of a chain of large stratovolcanoes extending across Guatemala. Its flat-topped summit is formed by a cluster of lava domes. Lava flows from the volcano interfinger with lacustrine deposits in the Jalpatagua valley, partly covered by the cloud bank below the volcano. The volcano lies south of the NW-SE-trending Jalpatagua Fault and overtops the southern margin of the Jalpatagua Graben, which lies on trend with the medial graben of El Salvador.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

This view from the south shows a forested lava dome, one of a cluster of at least three steep-sided, coalescing andesitic-to-dacitic domes forming the summit of Moyuta volcano. The age of the domes is not known, but they are considered to be relatively recent features. The town of Moyuta, the outskirts of which are seen in the center of the photo, was constructed high on the volcano immediately adjacent to the summit dome complex.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

Moyuta volcano rises above farmlands on the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala. The densely forested volcano is extensively dissected and is mostly of Pliocene and Pleistocene age, but has a cluster of relatively youthful andesitic-to-dacitic lava domes at its summit. North-trending faults cut the summit area and form step-like ridges. Fumaroles, acid springs, and bicarbonate-rich hot springs are located on the northern and southern flanks of the volcano.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

Moyuta is the easternmost of a chain of large stratovolcanoes extending along the volcanic front of Guatemala. The summit of the 1662-m-high volcano contains a cluster of forested lava domes. It is viewed here from a small lake to its SW at the edge of the Pacific coastal plain. The age of the latest eruption of Moyuta volcano is not known.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 1988 (Smithsonian Institution).

The large forested area at the middle right is the 1662-m-high Moyuta volcanic complex, its summit composed of a series of overlapping andesitic lava domes. The small white-colored area above and to the right of the dome complex is the city of Moyuta, which lies at an altitude of nearly 1300 m. Moyuta is the easternmost of the chain of large stratovolcanoes stretching across the Guatemalan Highlands.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography. Discussion of another volcano or eruption (sometimes far from the one that is the subject of the manuscript) may produce a citation that is not at all apparent from the title.

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).